Village development officer held for accepting Rs 30,000 bribe

Thane, Aug 26 (PTI) The Anti-Corruption Bureau has apprehended a woman village development officer in Thane district for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a contractor for clearing pending bills, an official said on Tuesday.

The contractor had completed certain work for the Borivli Gram Panchayat, for which a bill of Rs 10 lakh was raised. While part payment had already been cleared, a balance of Rs 54,988 remained pending.

"When the contractor approached the village development officer, Vidya Bansode, regarding the release of the remaining amount, she allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 30,000 to process the payment, said ACB inspector Sharmila Patil.

The contractor approached the ACB, which apprehended Bansode while accepting the money at the Gram Panchayat office on Monday.

An FIR has been registered, and further investigation is underway. PTI COR NSK